Nightingale At The Smithsonian Museum
by VibeQuake
Summary: My name is Florence Nightingale. I am a former Museum of Natural History, New York exhibit, now residing at the Smithsonian Museum. Somehow, I am alive, three years after leaving New York and the tablet behind. It must be here. And if it the tablet is here, I know there are some very bad people whose hands it must be kept out of. Sequel to Nightingale At The Museum.
1. Chapter 1

All of a sudden, there's pain. I realise I'm lying on the ground, my chest aching, my face pressed up against the cold tiled floor.

As my brain comes into focus, I gasp and jerk upwards.

I-I'm alive!

How?! How am I alive?! I'm in the Smithsonian…right?

I look around. I can see exhibits around me, just like New York, but I can tell this isn't the New York museum. This IS the Smithsonian. So how am I alive? The tablet is back home in New York.

…isn't it?

No, I decide. Clearly it's here. It has to be here or I wouldn't be alive. Nothing else can bring exhibits to life.

As I attempt to stand up, I wince. My muscles are very stiff; they've clearly not been used in a couple of years at least. That means it's been two or three years since I left New York. And two or three years since I left Ahk.

In this moment, I wish I hadn't come to life again. I would rather be a statue with no feelings than be alive with the feeling of a broken heart. My chest is aching at the thought of my beloved, alone in the museum. I wonder how the others are treating him. Teddy, Attila, Dexter, Jed, Octavius. How would they react to him? I wish I could be there for him.

I inhale deeply, hold my breath for a few seconds, and then release it. There is no point in wishing. It is what it is; I am here and he is there.

I look up at my surroundings. So this is the infamous Smithsonian. It's a lot bigger than New York, and the exhibits aren't restricted to just wax figures. There are all sorts of statues and weird creatures roaming the halls. I find myself captivated by a massive bronze statue walking past, his head almost brushing the ceiling. It's like a whole different world. I wonder if Neil felt like this when he-

My heart almost stops again.

I can't believe I hadn't realised until now.

Neil.

My best friend, Neil Armstrong, is HERE! He was transferred to the Smithsonian before me, so there's a huge chance that he's here! I-I have to find him!

I take off running, my muscles loosening up more and more with every step. As I run, I can't help feeling a sense of freedom. I haven't been able to run like this in years, even before I was transferred here. Most of the time when I ran back in New York, I was running away from something. Here, I am running because I want to. I have a desperate desire to find my best friend and hug him tightly. He'll be the only connection I have back to New York, but more than that, I've missed him a lot. He was the first real friend I had in New York, not counting Teddy. We developed more of a friendship in a few days than Teddy and I did in fifty years. I need to find him.

But instead of finding Neil, what I find is a diorama. It looks like a Viking diorama. It's the same size and shape as the Roman and Wild West exhibits back in New York, and like them, it's alive with activity. Miniature Vikings are bustling round their exhibit, clearly confused and a little disorientated. The museum is coming to life for the first time. I know what that feels like.

As I watch, I suddenly hear a scream. Whirling round, I duck as a large bird of some kind swoops over my head. I catch a glimpse of something in the bird's grip. My blood runs cold as I realise it's a miniature.

I take off after the bird. I can still hear the miniature screaming. It sounds like a woman's scream, though it could just as easily be a man. I know I can't let this miniature come to any harm; they are small and are more prone to getting in danger. It is my moral duty to protect them, even if they don't want it.

The bird is getting away. I can't let that happen. So I grab what looks like a helmet from a nearby exhibit and throw it as hard as I can at the bird, scoring a direct hit. Caught off-guard, the bird screeches and starts plummeting, the miniature slipping from its grasp. I angle myself underneath them and manage to catch the miniature as it falls into my hand. In case the bird decides to come back for the miniature, I close my hands around the small person and run as fast as I can away from there.

I slow down as I feel a stitch hit my side. I almost fall onto the side of a fountain in the middle of the room and collapse against it, panting heavily. I hold my hands at neck-level and slowly open them, revealing the miniature, who looks to be unconscious.

It IS a woman; a blonde-haired Viking woman. She looks young; perhaps twenty years old. She is wearing a brown tunic, brown and white furry boots, and a helmet with curved horns on it. White fur cover her entire arms. I lift her up a little closer to my face, and that's when I spot a broadsword hanging from a sheath on her belt.

All in all, she looks like a very formidable warrior.

I gently shake my hands. "Hello?" I mutter.

The Viking stirs, her eyes fluttering open. She registers me, and her eyes widen. "Giant!" she gasps, reaching for her sword.

"Wait, wait!" I quickly protest. "I'm friendly! Do you remember what happened?"

She pauses, her hand on the hilt of her sword. "With the giant falcon?"

I'm not entirely sure the bird was a falcon, but I nod. "It tried to fly away with you. I knocked it out of the sky and saved you."

I expect her to disbelieve me. That's why I'm surprise when she stands up on shaky legs and gives me a bow. "I am grateful, madam," she says gracefully.

This change in temperament surprises me. "I… You're welcome. What's your name?"

Again, she surprises me by changing her temperament for a second time. She stands up straight, lets out a battle cry, draws her broadsword, and holds it aloft. "I am Brynhild Ketilsdottir!" she bellows. "Warrior, daughter of the greatest fighter to ever live!" She pauses and gives me a friendly smile. "What is YOUR name, giant lady?"

I blink a few times, taken aback. "F-Florence Nightingale. I'm a nurse."

"A woman as a medic!" Brynhild looks both scandalised and impressed. "With whom did you sleep to get that position?"

I feel anger swell up inside me. "Nobody!" I snap angrily. "I earned it myself, by working hard!"

Brynhild held up her hands quickly. "I-I apologise. I did not mean to offend. It is simply that my cousin became a medic but she seduced the chief's son in order to gain the position."

"That's disgusting."

"I agree," Brynhild sighs. "So what is this place?"

I bite my lip. This Viking is about to receive a massive shock.


	2. Chapter 2

Luckily, Brynhild doesn't take long to comprehend everything I tell her. She seems to be okay with the idea of being an exhibit in a museum, as opposed to a real Viking warrior.

"I think I already knew, Flo," Brynhild says sadly.

Ignoring the nickname that I am already beginning to like, I ask, "How?"

"I remember dying," Brynhild replies softly. "I was sick. Very sick. My brother took me through the snow to a healer we hoped could help me. But…Bjorn went off to find help and never returned. I was left alone in the snow. I guess the cold helped my illness to kill me." She shivers, as if she is reliving the moment.

I feel sympathy for her. I gently pat her on the head, unsure of what else to do. She sighs, then glances up at me. "So how did you die?"

"Luckily, I was able to live a very full life. I died aged ninety."

Brynhild's eyes widen. "NINETY?!"

I nod. "I'm thirty now, though."

"W-Wow…" Brynhild hesitates. "I'm the same age as I was when I died: twenty-three."

My face twists into a sympathetic grimace. "Did you ever get married?"

Brynhild shook her head. "I did have a male companion when I died, but I never expected it to go anywhere. My only real friend in my childhood was my brother Bjorn."

I'm about to comment on that when we both hear a loud crashing sound and then screaming. "What the Hel?!" screeches Brynhild.

I quickly stand up. "Let's get you back to your exhibit, quickly."

"No!" Brynhild yells suddenly. "Please don't take me back there!"

"They're probably worried about you, Bryn!"

"No they're not! I was accused of being a traitor and given to that bird on purpose!"

My stomach drops. "What?!"

"They hate me!" yells Brynhild, brushing angry tears out of her eyes. "Don't take me back there!"

I have no time to argue or question further. I shove her onto my shoulder and take off running in the direction of the commotion. When I round the corner, I see exhibits rushing around all over the place in a panic. A single figure catches my eye, and I turn in time to see the back of a man turning a corner. I blink twice, thinking I'm seeing things. That looked like…

It can't be. He can't be here in the Smithsonian. Can he?

But it makes sense. He is the "guardian" of the tablet, after all. And if the tablet's here, then it stands to reason that he is here too.

Dodging the squid's tentacles, I take off after the figure. I spot him entering another room, so I yell his name as loudly as I can.

"LARRY!"

The man stops and turns. It IS Larry! He's really here! And in his arms…is the tablet of Ahkmenrah in all its glory.

I put on a burst of speed and catch up with him, the effect of all this running beginning to catch up with me. The nightguard, Larry Daley, stares at me in disbelief.

"F-Flo…I-I mean Miss Nightingale!" He blinks several times. "I-I forgot you'd be here."

"What happened?" I demand. "Why are you and the tablet here?"

"Long story," Larry sighs. "Everyone else is here too. They're in the archives."

"E-Everyone?" My heart leaps.

"Well, not everyone. Ahk, Teddy, and Rexy among others are still at home."

My hopes are dashed just as quickly as they rose, but I shake that off. "What's the commotion?"

"Long story short, Ahkmenrah's brother wants to rule the world and he needs the tablet to do so."

Ahkmenrah has a brother?! I would not have expected that. And even if I had, I would not expect him to be evil, considering how kind and sweet Ahk is.

Just then, a curly-haired woman comes up to us, hands on her hips. "What's the holdup?" she demands of Larry. "Who's this?"

"Florence Nightingale," I reply haughtily before Larry can. "And you are?"

"Amelia Earhart," replies the curly-haired woman.

For some reason, I dislike Amelia on sight. I don't know if it's her appearance or her manner, but I just don't like her.

"Oh, a Brit." Amelia looks unimpressed. "What's with the costume?"

"I could ask you the same question," I counter coldly.

"Guys, please don't argue," Larry sighs. "We need to get back to the archives and rescue the others. But first, we gotta dodge those Egyptian guys."

"Into the painting," I suggest, pointing at the black and white war painting.

"Are you mad?" Amelia demands, but Larry just grabs her hand and drags her towards it.

I step back and watch as they disappear into the painting. "Well, look at that."

"Did you know that would work?" Brynhild asks from my shoulder.

I shake my head. "Part of me was hoping they'd smack into it."

"You're cruel and weird."

"I know."

Hearing the loud noise of footsteps, I quickly turn and escape the room through the side entrance. Peering back through, I watch as a few Egyptian warriors follow Larry and Amelia into the painting.

"I hope they'll be okay," I murmur.

"They're as good as dead," Brynhild remarks from my shoulder.

I sigh and carry on in the direction I was heading in. All the while, one thought continues to turn round in my head. And it's not the fact that the New York exhibits are here, or the fact that Ahkmenrah has a brother, or the fact that Larry and Amelia are essentially on their own against an entire Egyptian army.

It's the fact that the Vikings gave Brynhild to a carnivorous bird on purpose.

Finally, I stop walking and sit down on a bench opposite an empty diorama. I take Brynhild down from my shoulders and hold her in my hand. "Bryn-."

"Are you going to call me that every time?" Brynhild asks immediately.

I slowly shrug. "If that's okay."

Brynhild hesitates for a second. "I'd rather you called me by my full name. Or Hilda."

"Hilda, then," I say. "Hilda, why do your people think you're a traitor?"


	3. Chapter 3

My miniature friend hesitates. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Hilda…" I trail off. "It might help."

"I barely know you," snaps Brynhild.

"Please, Hilda. I can't help unless you let me."

The Viking woman looks torn. I can tell she wants to trust me. But I don't know if she will be able to trust a woman she just met.

"Look, Hilda, I won't-."

"I refused to sleep with the chief's son," Brynhild suddenly says bluntly.

I fall silent, waiting for her to continue.

"The day before I fell sick, the chief's son tried to seduce me. I knew that allowing him to do that would give me power in the village. But I didn't want that to be my first time. I wanted my first time to be special, with someone special. So I refused. He got angry and hit me. I fled and locked myself in our house. He angrily yelled at me through the door that he would tell his father. Refusing to be seduced by a member of the chief's family or even the chief himself is regarded as a serious offence. It's seen as rejection of the entire village, not just the chief or his family member. So when I got sick the next day, I told Bjorn to take me to the healer in the next village. I knew that in my weakened state, if I tried to go to the healer in my village, they would attack me and I wouldn't be able to fight back. But obviously my plan didn't exactly work because I died."

She inhales slowly through her nose. "When we woke up earlier, obviously we were all confused, but the chief's son spotted me, and that was the end. They began beating me, then they gave me to the bird that had landed on our exhibit. I thought I was going to die again."

"Oh, Hilda…" I whisper. "I'm so sorry."

"That's why I can't go back to my exhibit," Brynhild says quietly. "The only person there who still cares about me is Bjorn, but he can't do anything against an army. It's better that they think I'm dead."

My heart is aching for this young woman. She's only twenty-three; she doesn't deserve this. She's terrified, branded a traitor by her own people. From the sounds of it, even her own father didn't stand up for her. And that has to be an absolutely awful feeling.

At that moment, we hear raised voices and thundering footsteps. I look down at Hilda, who I feel like I'm seeing in a new light. She's not Brynhild, fierce Viking warrior, anymore. She's Hilda, my miniature friend. I put on a smile. "How about we go on an adventure?"

Hilda jumps up and draws her sword, a grin on her face and a glint in her eye. "Let's do it!"

I grin back and lift her back onto my shoulder. Then I again begin running towards the sounds.

I hide behind a door and see Larry and Amelia walking down the hall at a very brisk pace. I sneak closer and follow at a distance to hear what they're saying.

"It's because I'm a woman, isn't it?" Amelia was saying, sounding angry and affronted.

I can't wait to hear how Larry's going to deal with an angry woman.

"No, it's because I've got this ancient raised-from-the-dead evil Pharaoh guy who's willing to kill me and probably anyone near me to get this tablet so he can rule the world," Larry replied snappily. I can tell he's under a lot of stress.

"So it IS because I'm a woman!" Amelia snaps back.

I roll my eyes. In no way did Larry say, _"You can't help me because you're a woman."_

"Look, I-."

"No, YOU look, Mr. Daley! If it weren't for me, you'd still be lost in that monochromatic mayhem!"

"Lost in what?"

"Black and white photo! Now listen, and listen good. I can help you. I want to help you, and not because I like you, which so far I don't, but because I smell adventure, and, damn it, I want in."

They're staring into each other's eyes. I swear to God; if they kiss, I'm going to punch both of them.

Larry just gives up. "Okay. Don't blame me if something happens to you."

Amelia smirks in that annoying way people do when they know they've won. "I should be so lucky."

"Indeed, we probably won't be that lucky," I say dryly, loud enough that they can hear me.

They both stop and turn. Larry looks relieved to see me, whereas Amelia just scowls.

"You escaped with your lives then," I observe.

"Yeah, luckily," Larry replies, before Amelia can give a sarcastic retort. "We still have to get back down to the archives."

"We can cause a distraction," I offer. "There are sure to be more people after you."

"Wait, what do you mean "we"?"

I gesture to my shoulder. Hilda draws her sword and grins. "Hey! The name's Brynhild Ketilsdottir, the fiercest Viking in the land."

Larry and Amelia exchange a glance. I really don't like the scornful look on Amelia's face. "You've acquired a miniature buddy," observes Larry.

"Yep, and I'm gonna cut your eyes out if you don't stop staring at me," Hilda adds, with a ferocious glare at Amelia, who steps back in something like alarm.

I stifle a laugh.

"You said you can cause a distraction?" Larry asks. "What kind of distraction?"

Hilda and I exchange a grin. "A fun one," Hilda answers, grinning excitedly.

"A big one," I add. "It should draw all the bad guys in the vicinity over to us so you two can get down to the archives."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Larry frowns worriedly. "You won't be able to defend yourselves against them for long."

"We have to try," I say. "Larry, you need to go. Save our family."

Larry and I meet eyes for a few seconds, before he nods, and he and Amelia turn and rush away.

I can't help feeling proud of him. He's grown. The scared, weak man I saw on his first day at the New York museum is gone.

Larry Daley is a nightguard.


	4. Chapter 4

"So where can we go to make a good distraction?" Hilda asks me.

"The room with the paintings," I reply after a moment's thought. "That way, we can go into one of them and lose the bad guys if need be, and it's far enough away from where Larry's going."

Hilda hesitates. "That's quite close to my exhibit, though…"

I gently pick her up between my thumb and forefinger and place her on the palm of my other hand. Then I hold my hand up close to my face. "Hilda. Please trust me. I will never let anything happen to you, okay?"

She still looks uncertain. "Why would you do that for a stranger?"

"Because we're not strangers anymore," I reply softly. "You're my friend. And I will protect you with my life."

She stares at me in shock. "What?!"

"Believe me, I will not let anything happen to you. I would rather die than see that happen."

My friend's eyes fill with tears. She covers them quickly with her hands, but I can tell she's crying.

"I-I've never had friends," she croaks. "Just my b-brother."

"For as long as you want me, I will be with you, Hilda. I promise."

"And I promise that I will stay with you, Flo." She places her tiny hand on the bridge of my nose. "Is this weird?"

I smile. "No, Hilda. Now come on; let's create that distraction."

We head back to the painting room. Immediately, I see that the black and white war painting is facing the wall. Clearly Larry and Amelia trapped the Egyptian warriors in there.

"See anything?" I ask, my eyes darting round the room.

"There's a painting with an elephant in it," Hilda says, pointing.

I follow her finger and see a painting with a weird, warped kind of elephant in it. I can almost hear the sound of the lightbulb going off over both of our heads. We smirk at each other at the same time.

"This is gonna be epic," Hilda states.

"Yes, yes it will."

Approximately a minute later, we burst out of the painting on the back of the pink elephant. Riding it like a horse, we gallop through the halls, hitting into many exhibits along the way. I do feel bad about that, as I swore an oath to do no harm, but I'm able to take comfort in the knowledge that these exhibits will not be alive much longer. Although that is a sad thought as well.

Hilda is whooping and cheering loudly, so I do the same. I'm a little embarrassed by the way I'm acting—after all, I would never DARE act that way normally—but hopefully I will never see any of these exhibits again, so that lessens my humiliation a little. I've never liked being the centre of attention, but at least this is helping Larry and Amelia.

"We got company!" Hilda yells, pointing behind us.

I turn and see several men chasing us. They look like they are from an army like Napoleon's. Is Napoleon here? I wouldn't count that possibility out. The point is that we have caught the enemy's attention.

"They got guns!" Hilda yells a minute or so later.

Before I can turn again and look, I hear the loud bang of a gun.

"Are the guns real?" I ask Hilda nervously.

"You'd think not," Hilda replies just as nervously. "But it looks like they're doing some real damage."

Another gunshot sounds, and this time, I see the wood in the doorframe was are just passing under splinter and crack. Hilda lets out a screech. "REALREALREALREALREALREALREAL!"

This is bad. They are real. Somehow, the guns are real. If any of those bullets hit us…

I hit the elephant's left flank, causing it to turn sharply to the right, through another doorway. I gasp and my hands flies to my shoulder. I'm just in time to catch Hilda as she loses her grip. I keep her in my hand and lean forwards, knowing we can't keep this up much longer.

The third bullet succeeds. Right after the gunshot, we hear the elephant let out a scream of pain. Hilda also screams. I'm about a second away from screaming as well, but I keep it together in order to protect Hilda. I close my hand around her, and then whirl the elephant round in a U turn. In a panic, it continues to run as fast as it can. It barrels into the group of soldiers and sends them flying. I hear Hilda let out a cheer, but that is when our luck runs out.

The fourth bullet also hits the elephant, the poor creature. And this time, I know it's over.

Curling my hands around Hilda to protect her, I jump from the elephant's back. As I fall, the elephant goes off into a spin and hits me hard in the back with its head. I feel something inside me crack as we fall to the floor.

My shoulder hits the ground first. I feel my grip get wrenched open as pain shoots up my arm and into my head. I try to yell Hilda's name, but my voice won't work. Wincing, I struggle onto my elbows and begin crawling, trying desperately to find my miniature friend.

I can see a soldier coming towards me. I speed up as much as I can, but he reaches me before I can find Hilda.

The last thing I see is the butt of his gun coming towards me very quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

My head is pounding. I feel like it's being crushed under something heavy. And my shoulder isn't faring any better. Other than that, I feel okay.

I feel that I'm sitting on the ground, propped up against what feels like a wall. My hands are raised above me, which isn't natural. I suspect that they are restrained. That causes my heart to skip a beat with fear.

My eyes flutter open. The first thing I see is the fuzzy black-and-white face of an unknown man bending over me. When he sees that I'm awake, he straightens up and turns his head. "Hey, Mr Egyptian Guy. She's awake."

I blink a few times to clear my vision. It has to be a dream. There's no way that HE is here. He can't be here. But I can see him. His outfit, his skin, his…

No, wait. His hair is different. And when he turns, his face is different. Just barely, but it's different. It's not him.

This must be my beloved's brother.

He approaches me and bends down in front of me, his eyes scrutinising me. I see his nose wrinkle ever-so slightly in disgust, which plants the seed of anger in the pit of my belly.

"So you are the one who caused so much trouble," he remarks, his accent almost exactly the same as Ahk's. "But you are just a weak woman, aren't you."

"Uh no," I croak. "No I'm not."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He mockingly puts his hand behind his ear. "I couldn't quite hear you."

"Hear this," I snap hoarsely, headbutting him in the face.

He grunts and presses his hand against his nose. Ignoring the even worse throbbing pain in my forehead, I plaster a confident smirk on my face, even though the absolute last thing I want to do right now is smile. "How'd that feel?"

He signals to his black-and-white henchman, who comes forward and punches me right across the face. It only adds to my head pain, and all I want to do right now is cry my eyes out, but I don't give him the satisfaction. He stands up and sneers down at me. "Anything to say now?"

I force myself to meet his eyes. "Worth it," I spit.

He only rolls his eyes. "What is the MATTER with you?" he groans. "Everyone else in this miserable place bowed to me immediately!"

Wow. This guy is really narcissistic. Are we SURE he's Ahk's brother?

He narrows his eyes at me. "Where are you from?"

"New York," I reply snappily. "Where are YOU from: Loserville?"

A man in a long robe behind the pharaoh snorts with laughter, earning him a ferocious glare from the black-and-white man.

"I am Kahmunrah," hisses the pharaoh. "The rightful king of Egypt and the future king of the world."

I force myself to laugh in his face. It could hardly sound more fake, but I think I'm convincing him that I'm really laughing. "Ohh, you're serious. Well, good luck with that."

Kahmunrah angrily looks back at his henchmen, but then he seems to hit upon an idea. He turns back to me, an evil smile on his face. "We found a tiny person with you, you know."

My blood freezes. "W-What did you do to her?!"

"She tried to stop us from taking you," he continues cruelly. "Of course, we couldn't allow any witnesses."

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" I scream, my heart pounding in my chest.

"What DID you do to her?" Kahmunrah asks innocently, turning to Napoleon Bonaparte.

The French general grins insanely. "Squish," he replies. "Like _fourmi_ under _chaussure_."

I don't need to know French to understand what they must have done to her.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I scream, pulling at my restraints like a wild horse against its reins. I scream and I scream and I don't stop screaming.

My heart feels like it's cracking. I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to Hilda, but I've failed her. I failed to protect her. And now I'll never see her again. I haven't even known her a full night, but I feel like I've lost a childhood friend.

I scream until my throat is raw, and even then I try to carry on screaming, but no sound is coming out. My face is sopping wet with tears. I know Kahmunrah and his lackeys are laughing at me but I don't care. I've just lost one of my only friends; arguably my best friend. I saved her from one fate, but I wasn't able to save her from a worse one.

"Night!" I hear a voice call.

It's so quiet that I'm unsure at first if I really heard something. Then the voice calls my name again, and I look up and to my right. There, sitting inside an hourglass, half-buried in sand, is Jedediah the miniature cowboy. My mouth falls open. "J-J-Jed!"

The cowboy presses his hand against the glass. "Night, don' give up!"

"I…I…" I close my eyes as fresh tears appear. "I can't f-fight anymore."

"Don' give up!" Jed repeats urgently. "Ya gotta stay strong 'til Gigantor comes back fer us!"

I try. I try to be strong. But every time I close my eyes, even in a blink, I see the image of Hilda being crushed by an unforgiving boot. Crushed as if she was nothing more than a cigarette end. She didn't deserve that.

"Jed," I rasp. "L-Larry isn't coming b-back."

"NO!" Jed yells, hitting the glass violently. "H-He IS comin' back! We gotta keep the hope alive!"

There is no hope. Not anymore. I'm going to die here, far from everyone I love. Ahkmenrah is back in New York, Neil is goodness knows where, and Hilda is…

Hilda is…

It doesn't matter now. Nothing does.

I have nobody left.

Any hope I had is gone.

I've given up.


	6. Chapter 6

Jed continues to plead with me for a few minutes but he soon falls silent. He can tell that his words are not helping me at all. Nothing is helping.

Kamunrah is talking to his henchmen across the room. I have no idea what's happening, but I know it can't be good. They're planning something big. I can only try to hope that they haven't already captured Larry.

It's a slim hope. With all their manpower and resources, it's almost impossible.

"C'mon, Night," Jed whispers, just loud enough for me to hear. "Remember that night a few years ago when Ockie insulted ya and ya told 'im off real good? Where's that fire gone?"

I remember the night he's talking about. Octavius insulted me and I responded with a long rant about all the things I had achieved in my life. I remember the feeling I had of intense anger in the pit of my belly.

I try to summon that now. After everything Kamunrah has taken from me, it should be easy. I've never been more angry in my life. And yet...I can't do it. I can't summon any emotion other than despair. The anger is still there, but it's being overshadowed by grief and hopelessness.

Maybe...just maybe...

"ATTENCION!" Napoleon screeches suddenly from the window. "HE'S LEAVING WITH THE TABLET!"

Kamunrah and the black-and-white guy (whose name is apparently Al Capone) rush over to the window.

"Night!" Jed hisses to me in the confusion. "Go!"

I stare at him blankly. "W-What?"

That's when I notice that someone has dropped a sword on the ground in front of me. It's a little too coincidental for my liking, but I have never been one to reject a potential lifeline. I hook it in with my feet, then flick it into my hand. I cut the ropes around my right hand, then I use that hand to untie my left.

I look over at the bad guys. They're currently barking orders at their men. I look up towards Jed. "I'm getting you out of there."

"No!" Jed shakes his head firmly. "I gotta stay. Gigantor's out there fer me. 'Sides, ya won' be able ta git me out 'fore that pharaoh nut or someone else sees ya. Save yerself."

I don't want to lose another friend, but I have to concede that he's right. If I try to reach the hourglass, it's likely I'll be seen. I have to leave now.

"Good luck, pardner," Jed says, smiling bravely.

"And you, Jed." I attempt a smile back. Then, when I'm sure nobody's watching, I crawl to the side and hide myself away in the shadows. I edge round the room until I find an exit, and then I run.

I don't stop running until I'm outside. The cold night air does wonders for my headache, though my shoulder is still hurting. I look around for any clues as to where I should go next.

That is when I see it. The large sign. 'Air and Space'. If Neil is going to be anywhere, that's where. After all, he's the first man to land on the moon. You can't get much more "space" than that.

So I make my way across to the Air and Space building. I'm not sure what will happen if I don't find Neil there, or even if I DO find him there. I only know that I'm desperately hoping I will find him. I need him. He's the only friend I have left here.

Oh, Hilda. My heart still aches, even when I'm not thinking about her. I couldn't protect her like I promised I would. That makes me a liar and a failure, but neither of those words will ever hurt me like the knowledge that my best friend is gone forever does.

Part of me is still desperately clinging onto the hope that Kamunrah is lying. After all, if she was alive, he wouldn't tell me that, would he? He'd tell me that she is dead in order to break me. That means there's a chance that Hilda is alive. But at the same time, I know that chance is very small. Kamunrah and his right-hand men are merciless and cruel. Even if they hadn't stepped on her, they could have done something else to her, something just as horrifying. It makes me cry, knowing that Hilda would have died alone and terrified, wondering why her best friend didn't protect her like she said she would. Like I PROMISED I would.

I can't stop myself from grieving, but at least I can push the thoughts to the back of my mind; I have reached Air and Space. The building looks more impressive up close. But that's nothing compared to what I see inside.

Planes hanging from the ceiling, rockets and rocket parts everywhere, people in flight suits, people in space suits. It's absolutely incredible. Neil HAS to be in here. He was moved to the Smithsonian two years ago; it makes complete sense that he would be displayed in the Air and Space exhibition.

As I make my way further into the building, I find myself captivated by how beautiful the place is. It's truly amazing how much mankind has accomplished in the air and space department since I died. I would love to tour a real rocket, but right now, I have work to do.

Unfortunately, I run into trouble on the first floor. A patrol of Al Capone's gangsters spots me, and soon I'm fleeing for my life through displays and weaving around other exhibits.

I really hate running sometimes.

Soon, I find myself trapped. Gangsters are coming at me from every direction...except one. It's a crazy plan. I can't do it.

 _"C'mon, Flo!"_ I hear Hilda's voice in my head. _"Where's your sense of adventure?"_

Hilda would do it.

That thought gives me enough confidence to do it. I take a run up, jump, push off the railing with my feet, and leap over the edge of the mezzanine. My hands close around the wooden axel of one of the hanging planes, leaving me dangling in mid air with no momentum left. I turn my head and see the gangsters preparing to fire. I wince and close my eyes, wishing it didn't have to end this way.

But then I hear grunts and sounds of people being hit and kicked. I don't dare open my eyes for fear of what I will see.

One thing and one thing alone makes me open my eyes and look.

"Florence!"

My eyes widen and my heart quickens.

"NEIL!"


	7. Chapter 7

There he is. Neil Armstrong. He's right there, standing amongst a pile of black and white gangster bodies.

I swing myself until I get enough momentum to brave a jump back across to the mezzanine. Neil catches my hand and lifts me over the railing. He tries to let go of me but I cling on to his hand, which eventually turns into a tight hug. To my slight embarrassment, I can feel tears springing to my eyes. But in all honesty, I don't care. My best friend is right here with me for the first time in years.

Neil begins rubbing my back soothingly. "I can't believe you're here," he whispers. "I saw you come in, but I…I didn't think it could really be you. What are you doing here?"

"I was transferred here the day after you," I reply.

Neil stiffens. "Y-You've been here…all along?"

I nod tearfully. "If I could, I would have come to you. I remembered you were here when I woke up this evening but…well…a lot has happened tonight."

I explain everything, from Larry and the tablet to my capture and Hilda.

Especially Hilda.

"Oh, Florence…" Neil hugs me again, allowing me to rest my head on his shoulder as more tears threaten my vision. "I'm so sorry."

"I-It's okay." I sit up and wipe my eyes. "I'm okay now. Hilda wouldn't want me to give up. I know that now. I have to continue to fight for her."

Neil helps me to my feet. "What do we do now?"

I'm about to answer when something catches my eye. I point urgently across the mezzanine. "Neil, look! It's Larry!"

It's true. We can both see Larry and Amelia running up the stairs, pursued by a group of bad guys. Neil and I take off running after them. We meet on the landing.

"Florence! Neil!" Larry gasps, clearly out of breath.

This time, I ignore his use of my first name. "What's happening?" I demand.

"We translated the tablet but now we have to get back to the main room," pants Larry. "Any ideas?"

"A plane," Amelia states suddenly, pointing at the plane I was dangling on a few minutes ago.

"Aren't they fake?" I ask.

"Nope."

The three of us follow Amelia and gingerly climb onto the plane. Amelia grabs the sticks and pushes them forward, causing the entire plane to lurch forward. I yelp and grab Neil's hand. I feel him squeeze my own hand reassuringly.

A few seconds later, the cables break.

We're flying.

It's a rocky flight, but the plane is managing it. Amelia is in her element and there's no stopping her.

Dipping up and down to avoid horrible crashes, we finally make it out into the night air. Larry, Neil, and I all glance at each other, adrenaline still rushing through us.

"How did you escape Kamunrah?" Larry asks after a while.

I pause, frowning. "How did you know he captured me?"

"Because he captured me too," Larry replies. "And I saw you, passed out."

I pause again, imagining the look on his face. I feel a little embarrassed that the nightguard had seen me in such an awkward position.

"What happened to you?" I ask.

"He stole the tablet from me and tried to unleash his army but apparently the combination was changed, so he trapped Jed in an hourglass and told me to translate the tablet or Jed would die."

"So that's how he got trapped?!" I gasp. "Larry, he's counting on you to save him!"

"I will," Larry says firmly, a determined glint in his eye. "I will save him. I'm not gonna let him die."

I nod slowly, satisfied. "To answer your question, I escaped because somehow, someone dropped a sword in front of me."

"You'd think the soldiers would be more careful," Neil pipes up. "So where did the sword come from?"

I don't know the answer to that, but honestly, I can't shake the feeling that we have a secret ally. Maybe a soldier, maybe someone else entirely.

"We're approaching the main building!" Larry reports just then. "We're gonna have to fly straight in!"

"What?!" I yelp.

"Florence, we have to jump!" Neil grabs my hand and kneels up. "Come on!"

I have no time to protest. Neil jumps right off the plane as it dips, and his grip on my hand is strong enough that I have little choice but to tumble after him.

We land in a couple of bushes which break our fall. The landing still hurts, but at least we haven't broken any bones.

"I hate you," I grumble, climbing painfully to my feet.

Neil ignores this and pushes me to the ground just as the airplane smashes through the window, sending glass shards flying everywhere. The bush shields us from the worst of it.

When we're sure it's over, we both jump back up. "Larry and Amelia!" I gasp. "D-Do you think they're okay?"

Neil looks unsure. "I…I don't know. But we have to get inside somehow and help them."

"I agree." I hesitate. "Let's go round to the side entrance."

I lead the way round to the door that I came out of when I escaped earlier. Unfortunately, there are soldiers guarding that door.

"Run!" Neil yells, but it's too late.

We struggle as the soldiers grab us, two holding each of us. They look like Ivan the Terrible's guards, which means they're extra strong. We can't get away. All we can do is cast helpless looks at each other as we're dragged towards the large room.

When we get there, we see the crashed plane on one side of the room, half stuck in the wall. Amelia is nowhere in sight. Larry and Kahmunrah are standing in the middle of the room, arguing over the hourglass and the tablet. Even from this distance, I can see Jed's fear. My heart goes out to him.

Be strong, Jed. Be strong like you told me to be.

"Hey, boss," Al Capone barks, coming up next to us. "Caught these two outside."

Kahmunrah turns towards me, still looking angry. "YOU! I'll teach you to escape from me, girl!"

He strides towards me, the hourglass still in his hand. I'm terrified that he's going to hit me with it, but all he does is slap me hard across the face. Somehow, this hurts worse than the blow I received to the head before getting captured. To my humiliation, I feel tears spring to my eyes. I bow my head to hide them.

Before I know it, Neil has gone crazy next to me. He manages to break free of the men holding him and leaps onto Kahmunrah, wrapping his hands round the pharaoh's neck. Everyone in the vicinity is so stunned that none of us can move.

"THIS IS FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE TO FLORENCE!" Neil bellows, his face turning red with fury.

"Neil!" I cry.

I don't know if he hears me, but I've just seen something terrifying. I open my mouth to yell again, but it's too late. Kahmunrah has pulled his khopesh out and, right in front of my eyes, stabs it into Neil's stomach.

I scream.

 **…**

 **Author's Note: I have received a few comments about how exhibits can't get injured because they are made of wax. I acknowledge that this is true in the movies (as clearly displayed when Teddy is cut in half by the carriage wheel in the first movie), but I like to imagine that the exhibits are brought fully to life, not just moving and talking, by the tablet, including breathing and having bones and blood, and being able to be injured. While it may sound stupid, it's how I like to imagine it. So please keep this in mind when an exhibit gets injured.**


	8. Chapter 8

The astronaut lets go of the pharaoh in shock and pain, stumbling back a few paces. I break free of the men holding me and rush forwards, managing to catch him as he falls. I fall into a sitting position as his weight almost crushes me. I quickly assess his wound. Blood is seeping from it at a terrifying rate. I didn't even see this kind of bleeding when I was alive, let alone in a museum exhibit. I'm trying to keep my mind clear and rational, but I can't.

I reach up and rip off my white headscarf. It's long enough to tie around him as a makeshift bandage, so that's what I do. My nursing instincts are taking over, and I'm letting them.

I can't let Neil die. I can't lose another friend. I can't fail someone else I love.

I thought I knew the meaning of the word broken. When Kahmunrah had just told me that he killed Hilda, I felt the most broken I've ever felt in my life.

This moment surpasses that by far.

I'm losing another of my best friends. I lost Hilda, and now I'm losing Neil. It's breaking my heart even more than I thought it was already broken.

Losing Neil will destroy me.

"Oh my God!" I suddenly hear Kahmunrah snap. "I can't believe you reached across like that again!"

I want to scream at him to shut up. I just want to let out my anger and terror, but I can't. Not right now. Right now, Neil needs me.

Eventually, Larry comes running over to us. The tablet is gone from his hands but now he has the hourglass with Jed in it, which relieves some of the pressure from me.

"I-Is he okay?" Larry gulps.

I don't reply. I CAN'T reply. I don't trust myself to open my mouth because if I do, I think I may just start blubbering like a baby. And that would be both humiliating and impractical.

"He's going to open the door to the Underworld," Larry tells me fearfully. "W-We gotta stop him somehow…"

I look up, my eyes locking on the pharaoh, who is entering the combination into the tablet, which is in a slot in what looks like a stone door.

"I'm not leaving Neil," I croak. "If I have to die, I'm going to die by his side."

"Nobody's gonna die!" Jed pips up fiercely. "We gotta figh'! Night, we gotta stay strong, rem'ber?"

He's right. He's right. We…We have to stay strong. Strength is all we have. Strength and hope.

For Hilda.

Hilda wouldn't give up. So I'm not going to give up. I look up, my eyes narrowing. "Larry, stay with Neil."

"What-?!"

Ignoring him, I scramble to my feet and charge at Kahmunrah. It's a clumsy strike, and he hears me coming easily. He blocks me and throws me away, at the same time as he punches in the last number. The tablet begins glowing and the door begins to open. I back away in horror as the true evil that is the Underworld comes into view.

Kahmunrah stands in front of the gateway, his arms spread out. "Welcome to the new, extended reign of Kahmunrah, Fifth King of Egypt and now the world! Horus, Ra, my warriors, come forth!"

From within the gate comes a hoard of strange yet scary looking warriors with hawk heads and spears. They surround me, Larry, and Neil ominously.

"Send Larry Daley and his friends to their doom!" Kahmunrah yells.

I curl up into a ball, facing death for what must be the fourth time tonight. My heart can hardly handle much more of this.

Then we all hear the small but strong voice: "Halt! The mighty Octavius has returned!"

Everything seems to stop. I slowly look up and see little Octavius riding on the back of…i-is that a squirrel?!

"I ride on the back of nature's most fearsome creature!" Octavius proclaims. "I ride the SQUIRREL! Forward now, my mighty steed!"

The small squirrel scampers towards Kahmunrah, who can hardly believe what he's seeing. He stares as the squirrel stops at his feet. "Do you wish to surrender honourably? Or must this end with the spilling of your blood?" Octavius demands.

I almost laugh.

Kahmunrah DOES laugh. He lets out a snort and glances mockingly up at Larry. "This? This is your big rescue?"

"Oh, no." I can see Octavius smirking. "This is!"

He turns towards the window, so everyone else does as well. Just a second later, a large white statue comes crashing in through the already broken window, creating an even bigger hole. The bad guys falter. Larry looks both relieved and even more worried. I have no idea what to think.

"What…" Kahmunrah blinks. "…is THAT thing?"

Clearly the statue takes offense at being called a "thing". "The name is Abraham Lincoln," he replies loftily. "And you, sir, are in a heap of trouble!"

"Attack it!" Kahmunrah yells.

So they do.

But their spears are useless against a man made of marble. He pushes them aside with just a couple of fingers. "Disgusting half-pigeons!"

The remaining bird warriors look terrified. They begin running back towards the gate to the Underworld. Of course, Kahmunrah begins yelling at them to come back. And of course, Jed and Octavius are urging them to keep going.

But soon, they are gone, leaving the door to the Underworld wide open.

"It appears my work here is done," Abraham Lincoln says, satisfied. "Just remember, son, a house divided against itself cannot stand. Farewell." And with that, he steps back through the glass and disappears into the night.

The silence that follows is excruciating.

"Well…" Kahmunrah pauses. "This is awkward."

"What now?" asks Ivan the Terrible.

Everyone, even the good guys, is looking towards Kahmunrah, who doesn't look as if he knows what he is doing anymore. "You know, I'm not quite sure," he says. "I suppose we should start by watching them die."

He points towards Larry and Neil.

"Streltsy!" Ivan grins. "Make them dead!"

"NO!" I scream, pushing myself to my feet. I attack Kahmunrah with everything I have, which frankly isn't much at this point. He overpowers me easily and twists my arm behind me.

"This is the last time you will EVER cross me, girl!" he hisses.

I know what he's going to do. But I don't have the energy to stop it.

I hear Neil hoarsely scream my name.

That is the last thing I hear before Kahmunrah whirls me around and pushes me straight through the gateway to the Underworld.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm floating in the air.

Everything is dark and everything is cold.

My skin feels like it's disintegrating.

And yet there's no pain.

Except a pain in my heart.

I'm abandoning Neil.

I'm abandoning Larry.

I'm abandoning Jed.

I'm abandoning my friends.

I'm abandoning Hilda's memory.

But there's very little I can do about that.

My thoughts are scattered.

Like they're very short lines on a page of paper.

Instead of one long continuous paragraph.

 _"_ _FLORRIE!"_

I can hardly concentrate on one thing at a time.

I try to focus on Neil.

I try to focus on Hilda.

Somehow, a thought strikes me.

 _"_ _SHE WAS PUSHED THROUGH THE GATE!"_

If Hilda is gone, perhaps her soul is here.

Perhaps I will see her again.

 _"_ _FLORRIE! HOLD ON, I'M COMING!"_

Maybe eternity in this place won't be so bad.

Maybe I'll disintegrate quickly.

One person's face stays at the back of my mind.

When I open my eyes, I can almost see his face right there.

Hold on.

It's his face.

It's right there.

It's him. All of him. Floating towards me, his hand outstretched.

Our hands touch.

And in that one single moment, everything is better. I feel no pain anymore. Only a warm feeling of love that spreads from my toes to the tips of my fingers. In that one moment, I feel no pain or sorrow. Only love.

The sight of his face. The feeling of his hand touching mine. It is an indescribably strong feeling of love. All the cold in the world is melting away and being replaced warmth.

"Florrie."

I can hear his voice. His sweet voice. The first thing I fell in love with. And it's beautiful, just as beautiful as I remember.

His face is drifting towards mine. We hold each other close, feeling the warmth of each other's embrace. I have never felt love like this before in my life. In my half-a-century of living, I have never felt as happy as I do right now.

Finally, after two long years, I kiss him.

The power of our love is beating the Underworld. I can feel a layer of protection snaking over my skin and around my hair and clothes. Our love is protecting us. That may sound cliché, but it's true.

The Underworld symbolises death. Endings. Even hatred.

We symbolise life. Beginnings. Love.

And this power is saving us.

"Ahk," I breathe.

"Let's go home," Ahkmenrah whispers.

Grasping his hands tightly, I smile. A true smile, for the first time in a long while.

"Yes. Let's go home."

I wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his shoulder. I feel his arms around my back and his head resting on mine.

Then we feel a sharp tug.

And all of a sudden, we are wrenched back into the light.


	10. Chapter 10

We are pulled back into the middle of a battle.

Fighting has erupted all around us. To my shock, I see exhibits from New York, like Sacagawea, Attila, even the Neanderthals. They're joined by several exhibits who must be from the Smithsonian. They're battling against the combined armies of Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Al Capone, not to mention Kahmunrah himself. All in all, it's a fairly evenly-matched battle in terms of numbers.

I flinch as an enemy soldier comes rushing past me. He isn't even aiming for me, yet I still feel a rush of fear.

Then I feel a cool hand take mine. "Florrie, let's go. Quickly."

I let Ahkmenrah lift me to my feet, and the two of us begin weaving through the battle, hand in hand. I spot Larry and Amelia fighting side by side, and I see Amelia protecting Larry's back. I may have misjudged Amelia. She may be a very irritating woman, but that's nothing compared to her skill and loyalty. If I was Larry, I would feel honoured to fight alongside her.

Across the room, I can see Neil. He is lying at the very edge of the room, almost in the doorway. His bandage—my headscarf—is red with blood, but I can just about see the tablet hidden under his uniform. Larry must have given it to him to help heal his wound. I remember that the tablet has healing properties; Ahk himself used it on me back in New York the day before I was transferred. It relieves me of a lot of pressure, seeing that Neil will be alright.

Ahkmenrah and I hurry round and take shelter behind the stone gate. My beloved turns to me. "Florrie, you-."

I throw my arms around his neck and hug him so tightly that my arms hurt. I then start crying and laughing at the same time with no desire or ability to stop. "You're here!" I choke. "Y-Y-You're really here!"

Ahk hugs me tightly back, burying his face in my hair. "I have missed you so much, Florrie."

"I have missed you too. But…it was worse for you, wasn't it? You were alive every night for the last two years. I…I wasn't."

Ahk slowly nods. "Yes. It…It was hard. But we are together now, aren't we?"

"Yes." I breathe in deeply and kiss his neck. "We are together. And I never want to be separated again." I step back from my beloved. "Ahk, we have to fight. You know who is behind this, don't you?"

"Yes." Ahk nods, looking a little shaky. "My brother. I have successfully avoided him all night, but I fear it is time to go out in the open."

"He doesn't know you're here?"

"That's right."

I pause, trying to think of an idea. "We have to fight. We have to get Kahmunrah. As soon as he's down, the others will be easier to defeat."

Ahk hesitates. "Please don't do this."

"What…?" I blink. "Do what?"

"Please don't take on my brother," Ahk begs. "He's ruthless. He…He will kill you."

"I KNOW he's ruthless, Ahk!" I snap suddenly. "He had my best friend murdered and stabbed my other best friend right in front of me!"

"W-What?!"

I heave a sigh. "He stabbed Neil Armstrong, my best friend before you back in New York, right in front of me. And tonight, I made a miniature Viking friend named Brynhild Ketilsdottir, whom your brother ordered to be crushed under a boot as if she was nothing more than a dropped paper cup."

Ahk falters. "Florrie…"

"I'm not going to let him get away with what he took from me, Ahk. And I'm certainly not about to let him take you away as well."

I kiss him gently, but I can feel him shaking. "I-I can't lose you either, Florrie," he whispers. "I love you."

"I love you too." I step back and give him a determined look. "I'm going to take him on, Ahk. And I'm going to win."

I place my hand on the hilt of Ahk's khopesh. His own hand flies automatically to cover mine, but he can see the determined look in my eyes. I know he can. So he hesitantly lifts his hand up and allows me to draw his khopesh. I twirl the curved sword briefly, before giving my beloved a dazzling smile. "I love you, Ahk."

"Florrie, wait." He reaches out and catches my hand as I turn. "I…Just in case something happens…"

I smile at him. "Ahk, nothing will happen."

"B-But if it does." He takes a deep breath. "Florence Nightingale, please will you do me the honour of marrying me?"

My breath catches in my throat. My palms suddenly become so sweaty that I almost drop the khopesh. Luckily, my involuntary hesitation does not last long, and I kiss him again. This time, it's a more passionate kiss. My beloved will at last become my husband. Ever since I met him, becoming his wife is all I have wanted. I love him more than life itself and I will gladly sacrifice myself for him.

Hopefully it will not come to that.

When Ahk and I finally lean apart, I whisper, "Yes. I…I will."

Ahk touches his forehead to mine. Even from this angle, I can see his eyes glistening. "You have made me the happiest I could ever be, Florrie. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

I reluctantly step back, smiling into the face of my fiancée. Ahk places his hand on my shoulder, his eyes locked with mine. "You are a remarkable woman, Florence Nightingale. You were trained as a nurse, and yet you throw yourself into battle like a warrior. It will be an honour to have you as my queen."

"And it will be an honour to be married to you," I respond. "I will use your khopesh to end this battle once and for all."

His eyes harden slightly. "Make my brother pay for all he has done."

"I will."

With one final look into his face, I turn and charge out from behind the gateway to what might possibly be my death. But I will not go down easy. I never have and I never will.

Especially not now that I have someone to live for.


	11. Chapter 11

I'd love to say that I charged into the fight like a badass, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen. As I charge, I have to duck to avoid a swinging sword and then I promptly trip over the hem of my dress. Fortunately, nobody takes advantage of this. I scramble to my feet and angrily rip off both my apron and about fifteen inches off the bottom of the entire length of my dress. I'm sure the real Florence Nightingale would have been scandalised by this, but I don't care. I cannot fight in such a long dress.

Letting out a war cry, I throw myself into the fray. I can't see Kahmunrah right now, so I settle for taking down a black and white gangster.

Across the room, I see the hourglass containing Jed lying on the floor, with the sand still falling onto the miniature cowboy. That frightens me, and I start forwards, but I soon see Octavius heading to help, so I fall back.

Someone bumps into me. I let out a choked scream, but the person turns out to be…

"Neil! My God!" I gasp.

My astronaut friend is pale and sweaty, but overall he's looking better than he was half an hour ago. He's clutching the tablet with his left hand and pressing his other hand against his stomach. "Florrie," he pants. "We gotta get this tablet away from Kahmunrah."

I hesitate. I really want to fight, but my American friend is right: someone has to keep the tablet away from the evil pharaoh. His first attempt at bringing his warriors into this world may have failed, but I'm certain that won't stop him from trying again.

"Alright. Where should we take it?"

"Air and Space," Neil replies immediately, showing me that he must have thought about that answer carefully. "There are enough exhibits there that we probably won't be found, and even if we are, we can escape on one of the planes like we did last time."

"Good idea. You carry the tablet, I'll defend us. Okay?"

Neil nods. "Yeah. Let's go."

I take off running out of the room, Neil following me at a slower pace. I remember his wound and slow down until I'm in step with him.

"So…uh…are you okay?" Neil asks hesitantly.

I give him a sideways glance. "Yes. Why?"

"W-Well, you DID fall into the Underworld."

Oh, yeah. I did. I've almost forgotten about that. After all, I wasn't in there for very long and Ahk rescuing me vastly overshadowed the experience. But when I'm still, I can still feel the coldness and see the darkness of that horrible place. I just hope it won't have a lasting effect on me.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"When I saw that you'd been pushed through, I…I…"

I turn to him and see to my shock that he is crying. "I thought I'd l-lost you."

"Oh, Neil…"

"But then Ahkmenrah appeared," Neil recalls shakily. "He was yelling your name so I told him that you were in the Underworld."

I recall the words I heard when I was in the Underworld. I thought I imagined them, but after hearing what Neil told me just now, I realise that I really heard them somehow:

 _"_ _FLORRIE!"_

 _"_ _SHE WAS PUSHED THROUGH THE GATE!"_

 _"_ _FLORRIE! HOLD ON, I'M COMING!"_

"So he just grabbed a curtain, ripped it into a rope, gave one end to Larry Daley, tied the other end around himself, and dived right in after you. I thought…" He trails off briefly. "I thought New York had lost two exhibits."

I squeeze his shoulder fleetingly. "It's okay now, Neil. Ahk and I are both fine."

Neil opens his mouth to say something else, but just then, I feel a hard object come between my feet, causing me to trip over flat on my face.

"Flor-!" Neil is cut off as he trips over another object and lands right next to me.

I roll onto my back and see some kind of Japanese ninja exhibit coming towards me, a katana in his hand. Glancing down, I see that the object that tripped me up was a small baton. I grab it quickly, get to my feet, and hold it out in front of me like a sword.

The ninja swings his sword and cuts it in half as easily as a knife cutting a strawberry. Clutching the other half of the baton, I back up next to Neil, who is standing against the wall, the tablet clutched tightly between his arms and his chest.

"How did Kahmunrah get you on his side?" I demand. "I thought ninjas were all about honour and fighting for what's right!"

"That's samurais," Neil mutters to me out the corner of his mouth.

"Whatever."

"Yeah, ninjas are totally different to samurais."

"I said whatever."

The ninja raises his sword. Neil and I clutch each other and shut our eyes. But I just as quickly reopen them again. If I'm going to die, I'm going to die looking into the face of my killer. That's the way I plan to go out: with bravery.

But just as the ninja begins to swing, I see what looks like a tiny aeroplane fly past, hooking the blade and pulling it out of the ninja's hands. He curses in Japanese and jumps to try and get it back, but I take advantage of the opening and slam him in the head with the remaining end of the baton, flooring him instantly.

Looking up, I spot the little plane come flying back towards us. "HEY, FLO!" I hear a familiar female voice yell triumphantly.

I think I stop breathing for about five to ten seconds as my brain registers first the voice and then the impossibility of it being who I already know it is.


	12. Chapter 12

"HILDA!" I screech.

I grab the plane out of the air and hold it in my arms. Sure enough, my miniature friend, Brynhild Ketilsdottir, is sitting in the cockpit, smirking up at me. "Hey, Flo! Like the plane? I got it from painting back in that room where-."

I scoop Hilda out of the plane and cup her in my hands, the closest I can get to hugging such a tiny figure. "Hilda!"

And once again, I burst into tears. "I thought you were dead!" I wail.

"Y-Yeah…" Hilda hesitates. "I was watching when that guy Kah-nut told you I was dead. I…I didn't know you would react the way you did."

Honestly, I don't feel embarrassed that Hilda saw my breakdown. "I was almost broken by that, Hilda," I sniffle. "I gave up."

"But…why?"

"Because I truly thought I would be able to follow through on my promise to protect you," I croak. "Believing that my failure had led to your death… It j-just…"

I feel Hilda begin to stroke my finger reassuringly. "But it's okay, Flo. I'm alright, see?"

I open my blurry eyes and blink until the tears clear from them. Hilda looks exactly as she did when we lost each other back in that room.

"How did you s-survive?"

"You protected me, Flo." Hilda smiles at me. "If you hadn't been holding me so tightly, I would have fallen freely and probably broken every bone in my body when I landed. Instead, when I did hit the floor, I only got a little bruised. When those soldiers reached you, I just…I ran." She looks ashamed of herself. "I'm so sorry for just leaving you like that, b-but I was just so s-scared…"

"Hey, hey, Hilda. You couldn't have done anything against a group of soldiers who were literally thirty times your height." I gently stroke her head with my thumb. "Besides you helped me escape. It was you who got the sword in front of me, wasn't it?"

Hilda looks up at me, the grin returning to her face. "Yeah it was. I stabbed a soldier guy in the foot and stole his sword when he dropped it. Then I slid it in front of you when you were grieving for me."

I let out a laugh. "Hilda… You really are an amazing person."

"Yeah, thanks for saving Florence," Neil says, coming up to her, smiling warmly. "Are you Brynhild?"

Hilda nods. "That's right. Brynhild Ketilsdottir."

"Florence told me a lot about you. I'm Neil Armstrong."

"He's an astronaut," I explain. "And my best friend apart from you. He was the first person to walk on the moon."

Hilda's mouth falls open, eliciting laughs from me and Neil. "How'd you do that?!"

"We'll explain later," I say.

"Right now, we have to get this tablet somewhere safe," Neil explains. We were thinking of going to Air and Space. Lots of escape routes."

I hesitate. "Neil…I'm so sorry but I have to go back to Ahk. I have to make sure he's okay."

Neil blinks. "What?"

"I shouldn't have left him, not when he's weaponless."

Neil bites his lip. "…alright. I trust you, Flo."

Realising that Neil has now picked up Hilda's nickname for me, I feel a warm glow in my stomach. I love my friends so much.

"If you need me, I will always come running," I promise. "You know I will, don't you?"

"Yes." Neil nods and smiles at me. "See you later."

"See you really soon," I correct him. "Good luck."

"You too."

With that, I place Hilda on my shoulder and take off running back to the main room, scooping up the khopesh that I dropped when I tripped over earlier.

When I make it back to the large room, I realise that the battle is still going strong. I bump into Larry and Amelia as they rush in my direction.

"Florence! Where's the tablet?" Larry pants.

"Neil's taking it somewhere safe," I reply.

Larry shakes his head breathlessly. "We need it! The only way we can defeat Kahmunrah is to imprison him in the Underworld!"

I approve of that plan. He had no qualms about pushing ME into the Underworld forever, so I would dearly love to see HIM trapped in there for all eternity. "He's taking it to Air and Space. If you hurry, you can catch up with him."

"I'll go," Amelia says immediately. "You stay here, Mr Daley, and help fight."

I look at her admiringly. Remembering the way she was enjoying the battle earlier, it's very noble of her to give up her place in the fight in order to fetch the tablet. "Tell him that Florence sent you."

She looks at me and raises an eyebrow. "I'll be sure to do that. Thanks."

"Good luck," I say.

As she runs off in one direction, I run in the other. I don't see what Larry does; I'm just focused on finding my fiancé.

"She seemed nice," Hilda comments suddenly from my shoulder.

"I guess she is," I reply, after a pause.

That's when I find Ahk. He has procured a sword like the one I used to escape earlier and is fighting two French soldiers at the same time. Just as he takes one down, I charge in and take the other down.

"Florrie!" Ahk kissed me quickly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, my love. And you?"

He nods. "A lot better now that I know you are safe."

Then we hear a loud squeal from my shoulder. "AWWW YOU GUYS ARE THE CUTEST!" Hilda screeches excitedly.

Ahk's eyebrows rise. "Florrie…?"

"Oh, this is Brynhild Ketilsdottir," I explain. "Hilda for short."

"Oh…! Is this the miniature friend you told me that my brother killed?"

"Brother?" Hilda repeats.

"Yes, but he was lying," I tell him, before looking over at Hilda. "This is Ahkmenrah. He is my fiancée, and the brother of the evil pharaoh Kahmunrah."

"That…is a lot of information to process." Hilda smirks. "YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE!"

"Thank you," Ahk says slowly, clearly a little taken aback.

"Where is your brother?" I ask.

"I…I do not know. I have not seen him for a while."

My fiancé looks so scared that I quickly take his hand and place his khopesh in it. "Take this. You can use it to defeat him."

No sooner have I dropped my hand than I feel a different hand clamping down on my shoulder and the point of a sword pressed against the small of my back. I inhale sharply and watch the look on Ahk's face change as he raises his khopesh.

"Hello, baby brother," comes a sneering voice.

My fiancé's eyes narrow. "Kahmunrah."


	13. Chapter 13

"Put the khopesh away, little brother."

"Ahk, don't!" I choke. "Kill him!"

Kahmunrah brings his foot down hard on mine, either fracturing it or breaking it. I scream in pain, causing Ahk to immediately sheath his khopesh. "It's sheathed, it's sheathed," he says quickly, his eyes glistening with tears.

I meet his gaze and manage to give him a reassuring smile.

"I should have known you would be here," Kahmunrah disdained. "You could never resist the opportunity to show me up, could you."

"I never showed you up!" Ahk snaps back.

I hear Kahmunrah chuckle mockingly. "Girl, did you know that I was supposed to be pharaoh?"

My eyes widen. "What?"

Ahk drops his gaze.

"I AM the eldest, after all. The throne typically passes to the first-born. But of course, Mother and Father favoured perfect little baby Ahkmenrah. They even had a magical golden tablet made for him. But that wasn't enough, oh no. They gave him the throne. The throne which was rightfully mine!"

"Mother and Father gave me the throne because you are evil!" Ahkmenrah yells. "They decided that I was more fit to rule than you. That isn't my fault!"

"Did you do anything to dissuade them?" challenges Kahmunrah.

Ahkmenrah glares at his brother. "Of course not. Not even I thought you were fit to rule."

"I can't believe this whole thing was caused by a spoilt prince who was sulky because he thought he should be king," I groan.

"Be quiet!" Kahmunrah snarls, digging the point of the weapon into my back.

I cry out as I feel the blade pierce skin.

"Leave her alone!" Ahk snarls.

"She has defied me many times tonight. I thought she was finally dead when I pushed her into the Underworld, but no. My hero of a brother had to sacrifice himself to bring her back."

"Nobody sacrificed anything," I snap. "We're both still here, which means you can't even get rid of a weak little girl."

The evil pharaoh growls. "Believe me, you will not be a problem for much longer."

"Let her go, Kahmunrah!" Ahk glowers at his brother. "Your fight is with me, not her."

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Kahmunrah's grip on my shoulder tightens. "She has defied me too many times tonight. I cannot let her live. You two will die here together."

"No!" Ahk snaps.

"Why do you care so much?" demands his brother. "Why do you care at all what happens to her?"

"Because she is my fiancée and I love her!" Ahk yells back.

Kahmunrah freezes for a few seconds, before beginning to laugh loudly. "You LOVE this girl?! She's a commoner!"

"I don't care," Ahk says fiercely. "I am not shallow enough to go for a woman I do not love just because of her high status. Florence may be a commoner but I don't care. She is royal to me, and she will be a much better ruler than you ever were."

I can tell Kahmunrah doesn't like being told that a woman will make a better ruler than him. "No she will not. Because she will not live to."

"NO!" my beloved screams.

"Ahk!" I cry in fear.

But at that moment, Kahmunrah lets out an extremely high-pitched scream of pain, drops his sword, and grabs his foot. Knowing immediately what happened, I ignore the pain in my back and foot and drop down, managing to scoop Hilda up off the floor before the angry pharaoh treads on her. Ahk grabs my hand and we begin running. Well, I'm not running; Kahmunrah fractured my foot. So Ahk is pulling me along as I limp as fast as I can to keep up with him.

We take shelter behind the stone gateway, where Ahk quickly takes down the back of my dress and inspects the wound there. I think normally I would feel awkward about the position we're in, but he's my fiancé, and I trust him.

"Are you okay?!" he demands.

I nod quickly. "I-I'm fine."

Ahk lets out an angry growl. "I can't believe he almost killed you!"

"B-But I'm okay, Ahk." I open my hands and smile down at my friend. "Th-Thanks to Hilda."

Hilda doesn't smile back. "I'm sorry I couldn't do it sooner."

"Hilda, don't do that to yourself. You saved my life."

My miniature friend shifts her feet. "How bad is it?" she calls.

"The blade didn't go in too far," replies my beloved. "There is a little blood, but not much."

I wince as I feel a sting of pain coming from the small wound in the small of my back. "L-Love you, Ahk."

A very short pause. "I love you too, Florrie. I'm sorry that he did this to you."

He zips my dress back up again, and I turn to face him. "You are not him, Ahk. You do not have to apologise for his actions."

"I could have protected you…"

I chuckle. "Do I really seem like the kind of woman who needs protection?"

"From my evil brother, yes," Ahk replies truthfully.

My shoulders hang. "Ahk, we need to end this. We need to kill him."

"I know." Redrawing his khopesh, he hands it to me. "Do the honours."

I nod. "I will."

Just then, Amelia, Larry, and Neil skid to a halt behind the gate, all three of them panting heavily. Neil is still carrying the tablet. "Are you okay?" Neil breathes.

I look down. There is blood on my hands and I am holding my foot off the ground because it burns with pain whenever I even put it down, let alone put weight on it.

"Yes," I reply firmly. "You have the tablet, yes? It's time to end this."

"How?" Larry asks.

"Ahk and I will attack him head on," I reply. "Amelia and Neil will open the gate when we give the signal. Larry, I can't help thinking that what Abraham Lincoln told you was significant."

"About a house divided?" Neil asks.

"Yes, that's right."

Larry thinks for a moment. "I think I know what he meant," he says suddenly. "Okay, I'll get rid of Ivan, Napoleon, and Capone."

Neil hands him the tablet, and he rushes away.

"Stay by the gate," I instruct Amelia and Neil. "You might have to intervene if this turns into something Ahk and I can't control."

The two of them nod quickly.

I turn and begin to limp away, but Ahk catches my hand and stops me. "Florrie…you can barely walk. How are you supposed to fight?"

"Ahk, I'm going to be honest with you." I look him directly in the eyes. "I'm almost a hundred percent certain I won't be able to fight. And I'm about eighty percent sure I'm going to die."

"What?! Then why-?!"

"Because I'm sick of Kahmunrah," I snap. "He nearly killed Neil, he told me that my best friend was dead when she wasn't, he imprisoned one of my friends in an hourglass, he kidnapped me, he slapped me, he pushed me into the Underworld, he treated me like a weak little girl, he stabbed me in the back and broke my foot, he was cruel to you, and he's planning to take over the world. I'm SICK of this guy, Ahk! And I'm NOT going to die because I'm not going to give him the satisfaction! I don't take abuse well at the best of times, but I am sick of the SHIT this man has put me through! I'm going to defeat the man who's defeated me at every turn, and I'm going to do exactly what he did to me. He's going to spend eternity in that Underworld and I'm going to be the one to push him in there, right after I stab him in the heart so that he will have to live with that pain for all the millennia he's going to spend in that prison! He almost robbed us of our chance to be together, and that is the last straw. That bastard is going to suffer the same physical pain that I did and he's going to suffer it for all eternity."

I stop talking, breathing heavily and sweating from the sheer anger rushing through my veins. I have never hated anyone more than I hate Kahmunrah, for everything he's done to me. But I mean it: he almost prevented Ahk and me from being together, and that is the last straw.

After a moment, Ahk's mouth turns up in a smile. "I love you so much, Florrie."

Smiling back, I kiss him lovingly. I hear Hilda squeal in delight again, but I ignore it. After a few seconds, I pull back. "Let's get this bastard. Ready, Hilda?"

"Born ready!" Hilda hollers, drawing her sword.

It's the final showdown. And we're going to win.

We charge.


	14. Chapter 14

My foot is killing me but I don't care. The adrenaline more than makes up for the pain. Adrenaline mixed with burning hatred is a dangerous combination. I can feel my blood boiling and I know that this could literally burn me out. But again, I don't care. I'm sick and tired of Kahmunrah. I'm going to murder him.

Ahk is by my side as fight our way through the crowd. He has the sword that he found earlier, and I have the khopesh. Fighting by his side is very liberating; I feel like I could take on the world and win, so long as he and I are together.

I see Sacagawea fighting a group of Russian soldiers using advanced boxing and wrestling moves that I suspect Teddy taught her.

I see Attila fighting in the middle of a group of French soldiers, punching them over and over again.

I see Dexter and Able, the two Capuchins, working together to slap and kick any enemies who come their way.

I see the Neanderthals beating the crap out of a number of Russian soldiers.

I see the Tuskegee Airmen from Air and Space taking on a dozen or so black-and-white gangsters.

I see Octavius and Jed, the latter freed from the hourglass, and the other New York miniatures stabbing people in the foot and attacking them from the floor. I hear Hilda whooping as she catches sight of that.

I see the famous Thinker statue showing off his big muscles by holding some enemy soldiers still so that the big bird from the beginning of the night can scratch at them with its beak and claws.

I see a giant squid grabbing enemies and throwing them against the wall.

Despite the fact this is a battle, it warms my heart to see everyone working together like this. Everyone's holding their own, but at the same time, they're working together. New York exhibits and Smithsonian exhibits alike.

Finally, we fight our way to Kahmunrah, who is fighting a Mongolian Smithsonian exhibit. Just as he defeats the exhibit, I punch him in the face. It hurts my hand, but it's so much more satisfying than words can possibly describe.

The evil pharaoh staggers back a few steps, rubbing his cheek. His face settles into a glare. "Finally. It's time to end this."

He lifts his khopesh and brings it down. Ahk lifts his own sword and meets it above his head. He looks at his brother with an expression of pure malice. "Finally it is time for us to be rid of you forever."

Kahmunrah barks a laugh. "I'd love to see you try. Why do you not fight with your khopesh, brother?"

"Because I do," I snap, swinging said khopesh.

He pushes Ahk's sword away and meets mine, before going in for a strike of his own. I step back, eliciting agony from my ankle, and parry it. Ahk appears and swings. Again, Kahmunrah pushes his current opponent away and parries it.

This goes on for a while. Every time one of us attacks him, he parries it and attack us back. Then he pushes us away when the other attacks, and the cycle just goes on. While it's good because Kahmunrah doesn't gain the upper hand, it's bad because we don't either. And what's worse is that every time I attack or parry, I can feel my foot giving out a little more. I shouldn't be fighting, but I'm definitely not about to stop now.

Finally, a step backwards causes my foot to give up. With a cry of pain, I sink to the floor, clutching my foot. I watch as Ahk continues the fight with Kahmunrah. That's when I notice that the battle around us has stopped. All the enemies have been defeated, and the exhibits from New York and the Smithsonian are watching Kahmunrah's battle.

That's also when I notice that the tablet is in the gateway, and Amelia and Neil are standing on either side of it. Amelia is watching the battle but Neil's eyes are on me. His face holds a questioning look.

I nod.

Neil nudges Amelia and says something to her. She begins entering the code into the tablet.

"Flo, are you okay?" Hilda asks me worriedly.

I nod slowly. "I…I can't get up."

As I watch my fiancé fight, Kahmunrah suddenly sweeps Ahk's legs out from under him, causing him to crash to the ground and lose his weapon. I gasp as Kahmunrah points his khopesh at Ahk's neck. "I was always the better fighter, brother. Any last words?"

I rise to my feet, ignoring the fact that I can literally no longer use my foot and whisper, "Hilda, throw your sword at him!"

Hilda almost protests but doesn't. I place her on my hand and hold her out towards Kahmunrah. In the few seconds that she takes to aim, I watch the gate to the Underworld swing open.

Hilda lets out a quiet war cry and throws her sword.

Since it's only about the size of a toothpick, I know it won't do much damage. Luckily, Hilda's aim is true—at least, I assume this is what she was aiming for—and the sword buries itself in the hand Kahmunrah is holding the khopesh in. He lets out an angry yell, and that's when I charge forwards on my one good foot and headbutt him, which is also very satisfying.

Then Ahk swoops in and grabs the crown off his brother's head. Before Kahmunrah can even react to that, I stab my khopesh directly through his chest. His eyes widening in shock and pain, I make sure to look him straight in the eye, all my hatred and anger showing in that one look.

"Have fun in hell," I growl.

Then Larry appears, yells, "FOR JED!", and pushes Kahmunrah hard through the portal.

Neil and Amelia immediately swing the gate shut, and Neil grabs the tablet from it so that it can't be opened again.

Immediately, the whole room erupts into cheers. The New York exhibits and the Smithsonian exhibits alike are hugging each other and celebrating their victory.

We have won.


	15. Chapter 15

I see many people going up to Ahk and congratulating him. He lets them for a minute or so, but then he makes his way over to me. A broad smile spreads over my face as he takes my hands. Then, in front of everyone, he dips me and kisses me, causing applause to erupt from the crowd.

I can hear Hilda giggling madly as she clings onto my hair.

After a few minutes, we straighten up and embrace tightly.

"It's over," I murmur in his ear.

"Yes. It is over. Well done, Florrie; you finally beat him."

"We did it together," I correct him. "I couldn't have done anything without your love."

Ahk smiles and kisses my forehead. "And I would never have found the strength to fight without your love."

"I LITERALLY CANNOT STOP SQUEALING," Hilda squeals. "IT'S A LITTLE CHEESY BUT YOU TWO ARE THE CUTEST COUPLE EVER."

I blush. "Hilda!"

Ahk also blushes slightly. "So…are you coming back to New York with us?"

I giggle. "Of course, Ahk! There's no way I'm going to let us be separated again."

"I'm glad." Ahk's smile turns into a beam, and he hugs me again. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Just then, I spot the miniatures celebrating their victory a little way off. "Can you excuse me a minute?" I ask Ahk.

My fiancé nods. "Of course, Florrie. I must speak with Larry anyway."

We move off in different directions. I make my way over to where the miniatures are. As I approach, I hear Octavius shout, "Miss Nightingale!"

Smiling, I kneel down in front of them. I hold out my hand and the two miniature leaders hop onto it, then I lift my hand high enough that I can talk to them.

"Hey, Jed! Are you okay?"

Jed plasters a slightly exaggerated smirk on his face. "Ya know me; I can bounce back from anythin'."

"Are you sure?" I ask softly.

His bravado seems to falter slightly, but Octavius puts his arm over the cowboy's shoulders. Jed smiles at his best friend, then looks back up at me. "I'm gonna be just fine. Yerself?"

I smile back. "I'm sure I'll live."

After a few seconds pause, Octavius awkwardly clears his throat. "Miss Nightingale…I would like to apologise for my ignorant remark."

I blink, initially confused about which remark he means. "What?"

"Back in New York," the Roman general clarifies. "About women not understanding war."

"Oh." I hesitate, wondering why he's bringing that up now.

"I realised that I never apologised to you for that. So…I am very sorry."

I chuckle. "Octavius, it's alright. I forgive you."

He stands up a little straighter. "Also… Seeing you in battle today was a real honour, Miss Nightingale. You fought with the heart and skill of a great Roman general." He gives me a Roman salute, and Jed does his own salute next to him.

I smile and do the modern British salute.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Of course, Hilda's salute is a war cry.

Jed and Octavius nearly jump off my hand with fright. I steady them quickly, then I use my other hand to pick up Hilda and place her down on the hand holding the other two miniatures. She grins at them. "Your salutes are really quiet!"

The Roman and the cowboy exchange a confused look. "Yours is…really loud," Octavius says lamely.

Hilda laughs raucously and hits Octavius on the back several times. "You're hilarious!"

"I like her," Jed grins.

"Thanks!" Hilda suddenly draws Octavius's sword and holds it aloft, inspecting it. "Y'all make great swords. Think you can forge an ultra-special one for me? I threw my old one at Kah-whatsit and now it's in the Underworld."

I'm only just keeping myself from dissolving into loud laughing. The looks on Octavius's and Jed's faces!

"I-I think we can," Octavius stammers. "J-Jed?"

"Hey, don' look at me," Jed protests. "We make guns, not swords."

"Ooh, a gun!" Hilda grins. "What's a gun?"

"Uh…this thing." Jed draws his pistol and hands it to Hilda, causing me to wince.

"I wouldn't do that…"

"Ya fire it."

"You set it on fire?" Hilda frowns.

"No, no. Here, put yer finger on the trigger."

Octavius quickly takes the gun away from Hilda and hands it back to Jed. "Jedediah, do not get the poor girl into trouble. If you must teach her how to fire this weapon, can you at least wait until we get back to New York?"

Hilda looks sharply up at me. I bite my lip. "Jed, Octavius… She's from the Smithsonian."

"Oh."

Octavius and Jed glance at each other in disappointment. I feel bad; clearly they like her already, and she seems to like them too. But she belongs in her exhibit here, and we belong back in New York.

"C-Can't I stay with you?" Hilda asks desperately. "M-My people hate me."

"Hilda, you won't come alive again after tonight," I tell her, feeling a pang of sadness as I say those words. "You don't need to worry about your people."

"I don't want to die!" Hilda wails. "I want to come alive again! I want to stay with you! PLEASE!"

My heart is aching. "Hilda, you don't belong in New York!"

"D-D-Don't you w-want me?!" Hilda cries.

"Of course I do, Hilda! You're my best friend!" I swallow. "But you belong in the Smithsonian."

"NOOOOOOOO!" screams Hilda. "I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

Tears glisten in my eyes. "Hilda-."

"If I may, Miss Nightingale," Octavius says, raising his hand. "What exactly are you worried about?"

"She won't have an exhibit to return to at sunrise," I reply immediately. "I wouldn't want her to not have a home."

Hilda sniffles and clutches my thumb.

"She can stay wit' us!" Jed offered enthusiastically. "She can have a room at the saloon!"

"Or a room in a house in Rome," Octavius adds. "She can stay there during the day so that she isn't visible, then she can hang out with us at night."

I can hardly breathe. Could it be possible? Could Hilda really come home with me?

"You'd really be okay with never seeing your people again?" I ask my friend softly. "You'd never see your brother again either."

Hilda smiles sadly and rests her head on my thumb. "Bjorn thinks I'm dead. So does everyone else. While it IS sad, I think I'll be really happy in New York with you. I-If… If you still want me."

"Of course, Hilda!" I beam. "My only concern is your wellbeing. If you think you will be safe and happy in New York, then I will be honoured to have you in New York."

Hilda cheers loudly and grabs Octavius and Jed in a bone crushing hug. "Thank you, guys!"

Octavius looks a little uncomfortable, but Jed is laughing loudly. "Wait 'til ya see our arsenal o' vehicles! We go' cars, planes-."

"You got a plane?!" Hilda screeches. "AWESOME!"

I laugh and place all three of them down on the ground. "I'll be back in a minute, Hilda. There's just someone else I want to see."

Hilda takes a break in her talking to say a quick, "Okay!" before going back to chattering quickly.

Laughing, I stand up and limp over to the gateway, where Neil is still standing. Just as I reach him, I accidentally put weight on my injured foot and topple forwards unceremoniously. Neil catches me quickly. "Hey, you okay?"

I nod and stand up straight, with help from my best friend. "So…there's something we need to sort out."

Neil nods slowly. "I know what you mean."

I hesitate. What will be Neil's decision? After all, he WAS transferred here…

"So are you going to stay here?" I ask softly.

"Well, I have two options: one, I stay in an unfamiliar place with no friends and without the ability to come to life every night; two, I go back to my home of fifty years with all my friends and family and the ability to come to life every night to spend time with them."

I look blankly back at him. "Does that mean you're coming home?"

He laughs. "Yes, Flo. It means I'm coming home."

I inadvertently do an impression of Hilda's squeal and hug my best friend tightly. "That's great, Neil! Come on; we'll probably be leaving soon."

Sure enough, after I go over and collect Hilda, I hear Larry call, "New York exhibits, we'll be leaving in five minutes!"

Ahk joins us as we go to the door of the Smithsonian and look out at the lake. Hilda perching on my shoulder, I take the hands of my fiancé and my best friend, breathing in the night air.

"I love you," I whisper.

None of them reply, but I just know that all of them heard me.

Finally, we're going home.


	16. Chapter 16

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

I wake with a start. All I can see around me is blackness. I'm initially scared, before I feel someone moving next to me, and I remember exactly where I am and what I'm doing here and who I'm with. I reach out in the semi-darkness and gently shake my fiancé's shoulder. "Ahk?" I whisper.

He stirs and his bright eyes open. He smiles as he registers me. "Hey. What time is it?"

"I…I think we slept all day," I whisper back.

His eyes widen in alarm. "What?!"

Last night, Ahk and I snuck off to the basement in order to have some time to ourselves. I think we must have fallen asleep.

"People will be worried about us," I say. "We should get back to the museum."

Ahk nods and sits up, wincing. "I know we freeze during the day, but I think I slept on my neck funny.

I get to my feet and help him up too. "What are we going to tell the others?"

"The truth, I guess," Ahk sighs. "That we just wanted some time together and ended up accidentally spending the night here."

I chuckle. "You know…people might gossip. The two of us, alone, in the basement."

Ahk's eyes widen again. "I hope not! N-Not that I…y-you know…"

I giggle. "I know, Ahk. It just wouldn't be pleasant for people to speculate about it."

"Exactly. Anyway, let's just get this over with."

Holding hands, we emerge into the lit foyer of the museum. Immediately, Teddy spots us and begins striding towards us, looking stern. I suppress another giggle, seeing that Teddy looks more than a little miffed.

"Where WERE you two?" he demands. "You weren't back at sunset!"

"We lost track of time," admits Ahk sheepishly. "Sorry, Teddy."

"Yeah, sorry," I chime in.

Teddy huffs. "You're just lucky Lawrence was able to make an excuse for you, Florence."

I hang my head.

"Why not me?" Ahk asks, surprised.

"You are in your coffin all day; nobody noticed you were gone."

"Oh." Ahk pauses. "That's both a relief and really depressing."

I giggle for the second time, but I fall silent at the look on my friend's face. "Look, Teddy, we're sorry. We didn't mean to lose track of time."

"It won't happen again," Ahk adds, subdued.

Teddy makes a "hmph" sound. "Alright. You're excused."

He turns and heads back to his horse. Ahk and I glance at each other, trying not to giggle. It feels like we have just been caught sneaking out by a parent.

"I'd better go see Hilda," I say eventually. "Coming?"

"I think I will talk to Neil," Ahk says. "Since he will be my best man, I believe we have some wedding details to discuss."

I smile at my fiancé and kiss him quickly. "Love you. See you later."

"Love you too."

…

I reach the diorama room quickly. I immediately hear Hilda's and Jed's voices cheering, which makes me smile. Rome and the West have really accepted her, which I find remarkable, considering she's a Viking and from a completely different time period to both civilisations. Plus, she's also the only one of her people here, which we did know would happen. But it doesn't seem to matter to Hilda. She still wears her Viking garb, but she behaves almost exactly like a cowboy. Almost exactly like Jed, in fact.

I approach the Western exhibit, my smile widening as I see Hilda and Jed standing together by the edge, both of them holding guns. Clearly they're doing some target practice.

Jed spots me first. "Hey, Flo!"

Out of all the people I know, I only allow three people to call me Flo: Neil, Hilda, and Jed. Ahk calls me Florrie, and everyone else calls me either Florence or Miss Nightingale, including Octavius, who calls me the latter. I did tell him he can call me Flo, but he prefers to be respectful, which I admire about him.

I grin back. "Hey. How are you two doing?"

"She's gittin' better," Jed replies, punching Hilda on the arm. "Ain't hittin' the target every time, but ya know…she ain't an expert yet."

"I will be soon!" Hilda enthused. "I bet I will!"

"I know you will," I chuckle. "I'm sorry for not returning you here last night. Ahk and I were together and lost track of time."

Hilda's lips turn up in a mischievous smirk. "Oh, really? Did you do IT?"

"Hilda!" I snap, my cheeks turning red. "For your information, we did NOT."

"Alright," Hilda says, but I can tell she doesn't believe me.

I roll my eyes. "Real mature, Hilda. Don't make me regret asking you to be my bridesmaid."

"I still have no idea how I'm supposed to carry the train of your dress when you're literally thirty times my height," Hilda says, shrugging.

"I told you, Hilda: that's not all the bridesmaid has to do." A thought suddenly strikes me. "You…You still do want to do this, don't you?"

Hilda's eyes widen. "Yes, yes! Of course! Flo, c'mon!"

I shrug helplessly. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, Flo! You're my best friend!"

Jed clears his throat. Without looking at him, Hilda says, "You're most definitely my best friend, Flo."

Jed rolls his eyes.

At that moment, Octavius comes through the tunnel between the two exhibits and smiles. "Hello, Miss Nightingale. How are you?"

"Very well, thank you," I reply politely. "You?"

"Getting impatient," he replies with a pointed look at his fellow miniatures.

"We're coming!" Hilda yells, drawing her brand new golden broadsword and holding it aloft. "NOBODY SHALL GET IN THE WAY OF THE FABULOUS THREE ON THEIR PLANE RIDE OF DESTINY!"

I snicker.

"None of us are fabulous," Octavius says resignedly.

Hilda strikes a pose and smirks. "Speak for yourself."

"Yeah, I'm the mos' fabulous man ta ever exist!" Jed grins, striking a similar pose to Hilda.

Octavius just raises an eyebrow at him.

"I'll leave you three to it," I say, grinning. "Have fun."

"Shall do!" Still holding her sword aloft, Hilda races towards the tunnel and disappears, Octavius and Jed hot on her heels.

I grin and roll my eyes. I'm so glad to see Hilda fitting in well. Octavius and Jed really seem to like her.

I decide to return to the foyer to find Ahk and Neil. As I round the corner, I spot my fiancé and my best friend talking together by the front door. They're engrossed in their conversation and don't notice me, so I decide not to disturb them.

I return to the basement and sit down on the makeshift bed we created for ourselves earlier. I sigh happily. It's hard to believe that almost three years ago, my life almost ended. Neil was gone, and I was being forced to leave the love of my life behind. I had nobody else.

But I have a family now. I have Ahkmenrah, the man I love more than life itself. I have Neil, the most loyal best friend I could ever have. And I have Hilda, the girl whom I would trust with my life.

Two years ago, I was transferred to a cold, unfamiliar museum with no friends to speak of.

But now I'm home with my family. And I know I'll be staying here.

Forever.


End file.
